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Ancient sources described Genghis Khan's conquests as wholesale destruction on an unprecedented scale in certain geographical regions, causing great demographic changes in Asia. According to the works of the Iranian historian Rashid al-Din (1247–1318), the Mongols killed more than 1,300,000 people in Merv and more than 1,747,000 in Nishapur.
A minor detachment was also sent to take Khujand, but Genghis himself took Tolui and around half of the army — between 30,000 and 50,000 men — and headed westwards. [18] Campaigns of Genghis Khan between 1207 and 1225. The Khwarazmshah faced many problems. His empire was vast and newly formed, with a still-developing administration. [19]
Genghis Khan [a] (born Temüjin; c. 1162 – August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, [b] was the founder and first khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongol tribes , he launched a series of military campaigns , conquering large parts of China and Central Asia .
Genghis intended to annihilate the entire Western Xia culture: he methodically destroyed their cities and countryside, and began besieging Yinchuan in 1227. In December, near the end of the siege, Genghis Khan died of unknown causes, which has been presented by some accounts as being the result of wounds he had suffered against the Western Xia.
The people of Samarkand were ordered to evacuate and assemble in a plain outside the city, where many were killed. [citation needed] About the time of the fall of Samarkand, Genghis Khan charged Subutai and Jebe, two of the Khan's top generals, with hunting down the Shah.
[22] [23] However, in August 1227, Genghis died of a historically uncertain cause, and, in order not to jeopardize the ongoing campaign, his death was kept a secret. [24] [25] In September 1227, Emperor Mozhu surrendered to the Mongols and was promptly executed.
The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous empire in history. [4] Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, extending northward into parts of the Arctic; [5] eastward and southward into parts of the Indian subcontinent, mounted invasions of Southeast Asia, and ...
Eventually, Genghis sent Ogedai, his third son and eventual heir, as sole commander for the siege. [8] When the city was eventually taken, it was annihilated, in one of the bloodiest massacres in human history. [9] In the final assault on the city walls, thousands of civilians were herded together by the Mongols and pushed into the city's moats.